April is one of my favorite months! The weather is starting to warm up and the days are getting longer. With the exception of a few tornadoes in the area, it’s been great. I’ve been running, walking my dog at new-to-me parks, visiting Chicago with my husband and friends, studying for final exams, and trying a few new recipes. All in all, a great way to spend my month.
My book choices have been pretty standard for my tastes, so not branching out too much. Two sci-fi and two murder mysteries, plus a novel and a non-fiction on a health/wellness topic. This completed books 21-26 of my 50 for the year.
I’m also over 10,000 pages read so far this year!
It’s easy to forget how many pages you read when you are focused on selecting books. But I think it’s worth noting all kinds of milestones of accomplishment. Also, I choose all of my books this month from the public library. One was an audiobook and the others were paperbacks. I ended up reading the non-fiction book about running very slowly. I’d read a bit, then go back to sci-fi. Then come back a few days later to digest a bit more. So, I spent at least half of the month reading two books at once which I don’t do too often.
Check back to the original post to review the Reading Challenge or to find links to the other monthly updates.
The Pale Horse
#32- by Agatha Christie
by Agatha Christie
I love Agatha Christie and I was so excited to specifically put one of her books in this challenge because I knew I was going to read her this year anyway. The Pale Horse was definitely intricate, but not quite as complicated as some of the other works. Not to worry though, it’s a great mystery!
Under the Rainbow
#4- from your local library
by Celia Laskey
I borrowed this as an audiobook from my library’s e-book website. Each chapter focuses on a different person in a town voted as The Most Homophobic Town in America. Not the title you want your town to have, but it seems like a fitting title after getting to know just a few of the characters. It’s scary, heart-breaking, uplifting, and tragic all in one.
The Last Unicorn
#46- with a ‘quest’ plot type
by Peter S. Beagle
The last, solitary unicorn is on a mission to find out what happened to the rest of her kind. Along the way, she meets some interesting folks (both good and bad). This book has a classic fairy tale feel but is a fresh quest with an unknown main character.
Hansons Marathon Method
#39- to help you achieve a goal
by Luke Humphrey
I’m a runner and I’m always looking for new ideas about the hobby. I have completed a half-marathon and quite a few shorter races, but never a full marathon, so this book is perfect to help me along the way as I attempt to reach that next goal. The book is highly informative, but it is a bit technical. This is meant for serious runners, or those looking to get serious. Even the ‘beginner’ plan will have regular hobby runners panicking with the shocking amount of intense running being prescribed.
Nightflyers and Other Stories
#33- made into a TV series
by George R.R. Martin
Nightflyers was made into a TV show on Netflix in 2018, but it only had one 10-episode season. Oh well. The book was great though and I really love Martin’s anthologies. It took place on a spaceship as the eclectic crew searched for an alien species. The other sci-fi short stories in this book were awesome too. Maybe someday they’ll also get adapted to a show or movie?
The Crossing Places
#49- with a plot twist
by Elly Griffiths
I liked this one so much that I read it straight through on a rainy Sunday morning. Griffiths has a knack for making interesting characters that keep the mood somewhat playful, even while centering around brutal kidnappings and murder. The plot twist was great, but I’ll admit I did guess part of the final reveal.
Spine & Leaf Books 
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